occupied

[ ok-yuh-pahyd ]

adjective

1. lived in:

   Now that he is no longer a member of the legislature, he and his family must move out of the occupied premises within 30 days.

2. (of space, time, etc.) taken or filled up:

   Have you ever walked into a public restroom and mistakenly opened an occupied stall?

3. taken possession of and controlled by a hostile military force:

   After Germany invaded in 1914, the Belgian Commission for Relief ensured that Belgians living in the occupied region did not starve.

4. employed or engaged, as one’s attention, energy, etc.; busy:

   He is often bored at home, not receiving much attention or affection from his occupied parents.

5. (of a position, office, etc.) held:

   The amount of the salary markup for working under extraordinary conditions depends on the occupied position.

6. Sometimes Occupied. (of a place) taken possession of and controlled by demonstrators who see it as symbolic of a social or political issue:

   People stopped outside the occupied library to show their support for those inside, who were protesting cuts to public services.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of occupy ( def ).

Other Words From

• o·ver·oc·cu·pied adjective
• self-oc·cu·pied adjective
• un·der·oc·cu·pied adjective
• well-oc·cu·pied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of occupied¹

occupy ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Several Israeli officials are also eyeing the Trump victory as an opportunity to annex territory in the occupied West Bank, home to 3 million Palestinians.

From Los Angeles Times

I started acting up simply to keep myself occupied.

From Los Angeles Times

Royal Lodge, another residence in Windsor, occupied by the Duke of York, has its own security arrangements - said to cost several million pounds per year.

From BBC

Ukraine has been using the Army Tactical Missile System, more commonly known as ATACMS, on Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory for more than a year.

From BBC

After struggling to get paid during the holidays, workers in Nevada occupied the cafeteria and refused to work.

From New York Times

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled